Buddleia plant named ‘Queen of Hearts’

ABSTRACT

Buddleia  ‘Queen of Hearts’ is a broadly mounded, multi-stemmed, winter-hardy butterfly bush plant with long compact flowering thyrse over a long season beginning mid-summer with sweetly-fragrant magenta red flowers that are attractively offset by medium green foliage.

Botanical classification: Buddleia hybrid (Linnaeas, Carl von).

Variety denomination: ‘Queen of Hearts’.

BACKGROUND OF THE PLANT

The present invention relates to the new and distinct Butterfly Bush plant, Buddleia ‘Queen of Hearts’ collected by the inventor in the fall of 2011 at a wholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland, Mich., USA. ‘Queen of Hearts” is the result of an ongoing breeding program conducted by the inventor. The goals for this program have been to produce improved, garden-worthy plants for the ornamental plant market. The new plant, originally assigned breeder code H11-38-03, is from an open pollination of a proprietary hybrid H10-08-08 (not patented). The male parent is unknown and was from within a population of a large number of proprietary selections and named cultivars.

Buddleia ‘Queen of Hearts’ was first asexually propagated in 2012 by stem cuttings at the same nursery in Zeeland, Mich. The resultant asexually propagated plants have been found to be stable and true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE PLANT

Buddleia ‘Queen of Hearts’ differs from its parents as well as all other winter-hardy butterfly bush plants known to the applicant in many traits. The flower color of ‘Queen of Hearts’ is a distinct vibrant magenta red. The habit of ‘Queen of Hearts’ is a compact broad mound.

The nearest comparison plants known to the inventor include: Buddleia ‘Attraction’ (not patented), ‘Harlequin’ (not patented), ‘Miss Molly’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 23,425, ‘Miss Ruby’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 19,950 and ‘Royal Red’ (not patented). Compared to the female parent, HK10-202-02, is shorter and more compact and has flowers that are more magenta red.

The following Table 1 further demonstrates some comparisons with the new plant and the nearest comparison cultivars.

TABLE 1 CULTIVAR Leaf color Flower color Habit Size (H × W) ‘Attraction’ gray-green purplish- large 240 cm × 240 cm red mound ‘Harlequin’ light green red-purple towering 180 cm × 165 cm with cream margin ‘Miss Molly’ silvery green red-purple flat  85 cm × 140 cm mound ‘Miss Ruby’ silvery green bright pink mound 100 cm × 145 cm ‘Queen of medium green magenta red broad 130 cm × 150 cm Hearts’ mound ‘Royal Red’ medium green red-purple huge 290 cm × 300 cm mound Buddleia ‘Queen of Hearts’ is a unique winter-hardy butterfly bush different from all other Buddleia cultivars known to the inventor based on the following combined traits:

-   -   1. Winter-hardy shrub, with multiple-stemmed, heavily-branched,         short, broadly mounded habit.     -   2. Many-flowered compact thyrse over a prolonged season         beginning mid-summer.     -   3. Flowers with magenta red petals.     -   4. Elliptic to lanceolate foliage of medium green.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The photographs of the new plant demonstrate the overall appearance of the plant, including the unique traits. The colors are as accurate as reasonably possible with color reproductions. Ambient light spectrum, source and direction may cause the appearance of minor variation in color.

FIG. 1 shows a close-up of the flowers.

FIG. 2 shows the habit of a three-year-old plant in mid-season flowering.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following descriptions and color references are based on the 2001 edition of The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except where common dictionary terms are used. The new plant, Buddleia ‘Queen of Hearts’, has not been observed under all possible environments. The phenotype may vary slightly with different environmental conditions, such as temperature, light, fertility, moisture and maturity levels, but without any change in the genotype. The following observations and size descriptions are of three-year-old plants in the loamy-sand open-sun field trials of a nursery in Zeeland, Mich. with supplemental fertilizer and water as needed. The plants are natural habit and were not treated with plant growth regulators, nor were they pinched at any time in the growth year except to cut back woody stems to about 15 cm tall in fall or early spring to promote new growth and flowering.

-   Parentage: Proprietary hybrid #H10-08-08 (not patented) as the     female or pod parent times an unknown open-pollination as the male     or pollen parent. -   Propagation:     -   -   Method.—Softwood cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots.—About two weeks.         -   Rooting habit.—Normal, dense and thick at base to about 1.5             cm diameter; fibrous, branching.         -   Root color.—Creamy white between RHS 159A and lighter than             RHS 159 D depending on soil type; becoming woody to 1.5 cm             diameter.         -   Crop time.—Under normal summer growing conditions 12 to 16             weeks to flower in a four-liter container from cutting.             Plant vigor is very good. -   Plant description:     -   -   Plant shape and habit.—Winter-hardy, herbaceous, semi-woody,             well-branched shrub with about 18 thick upright and branched             main stems producing an upright mound about 130 cm tall and             about 150 cm wide.         -   Stem.—Rounded and woody in lower portion rounded in cross             section with exfoliating bark; younger upper portion             puberulent and quadrangular in cross section; strong and             flexible; average about 105 cm tall from soil line to just             below terminal flowers, and about 1.4 cm diameter at the             base; before distal flowers about 10 branches per main stem             extending at about 45° angle from horizontal in lower             branches and about to 40° from horizontal in upper branches.         -   Stem color.—Just below flowers between RHS 138C and RHS 138B             with heavy tinting of nearest RHS 183A especially on corner             ridges and areas exposed to more direct sunlight; striated             in about basal 10 cm with fissures of nearest RHS 165D and             between RHS 165A and RHS 165B.         -   Plant size.—Unpinched plant with stems flowering to about             130 cm tall; overall plant about 150.0 cm wide.         -   Internode.—About 15 nodes per stem, average internode length             about 6.5 cm on unpinched plant; upper nodes more pubescent             than lower nodes.         -   Node color.—Same color as surrounding stem to slightly more             tinted with RHS 184A. -   Foliage description: Opposite, decussate; serrulate; puberulent     abaxial and glabrous adaxial; elliptic to lanceolate with attenuate     base and acute apex; no foliar fragrance detected.     -   -   Leaf blade size.—Up to about 15.5 cm long and about 5.0 cm             wide, average about 12.0 cm long and about 3.0 cm wide;             becoming smaller distally.         -   Foliage color.—Young expanding leaf adaxial side between RHS             138A and RHS 138B, abaxial nearest RHS 155C; mature leaves             adaxial side nearest RHS 137A and abaxial lighter than RHS             145D and RHS 138D.         -   Veins.—Reticulate; abaxial raised, adaxial slightly             impressed.         -   Vein color.—Young expanding adaxial nearest RHS 145D,             abaxial nearest RHS 155B; mature main adaxial variable             nearest RHS 193D with lateral veins same color as             surrounding leaf, main abaxial nearest RHS 145C proximally             and RHS 145D distally with lateral veins same color as             surrounding leaf.         -   Petioles.—Glaucous and glabrous adaxial, pubescent abaxial;             flatted partially top to bottom; average size about 1.0 cm             long and about 2.0 mm wide at the point of attachment to             stem.         -   Petiole color.—Adaxial margins nearest RHS 139B and center             vein nearest RHS 193D, abaxial nearest RHS 145C. -   Inflorescence description: Glomerate thyrse consisting of about 1100     self-cleaning salverform flowers; to about 34.0 cm long and 6.8 cm     wide, beginning in mid-July and continuing until late October in     Michigan.     -   -   Buds.—Narrowly spatulate, apex rounded; one day prior to             opening about 11.0 mm long and about 3.5 mm in diameter in             club, tube portion about 1.0 mm diameter and about 8.0 mm             diameter.         -   Bud color.—Darker than RHS 71A in both tube and unopened             blade portion.         -   Sepals.—Typically four, proximal two-thirds connate             adpressed to corolla tube; acute apex; glabrous adaxial and             pubescent abaxial; margin entire, edentate; fused in about             the basal 1.5 mm and split in about the terminal 1.0 mm;             forming a corolla about 2.5 mm long and about 2.0 mm across;             individually less than about 1.0 mm wide at point of fusion.         -   Sepal color.—Adaxial nearest RHS 138C, abaxial nearest RHS             138B.         -   Flowers fragrance.—Pleasantly and distinctly sweet.         -   Petals.—Typically four; glabrous; fused into salverform             about 11.5 mm long, with typically straight cylindrical tube             about 9.5 mm long and 1.0 mm diameter, and a flattened face             about 11.0 mm across; petal blade rounded with crenate             margin; blade to about 2.0 mm across and about 3.0 mm long             from fused face; center 5.0 mm of flattened face portion of             blade fused.         -   Petal color.—Adaxial center nearest RHS 23A in the tube             surrounded by a thin irregular band of less than 0.5 mm             width of nearest RHS 16A, adaxial face blades between RHS             71A and RHS 72A; abaxial tube nearest RHS 64A and abaxial             petal blades nearest RHS 71A.         -   Gynoecium.—Pistil: one; about 3.5 mm long. Style: short,             round, glabrous; about 1.3 mm long and less than 0.5 mm             diameter; color nearest RHS 144C. Stigma: oblong, minutely             puberulent; about 1.2 mm in diameter and less than 0.7 mm             long; color nearest RHS 141B. Ovary: superior; globose;             about 1.0 mm across at base and 2.0 mm tall; distally             tapering to style; color between RHS 144A and RHS 144B.         -   Androecium.—Filaments: not produced or very short. Anthers:             typically four; oblong; introrse; adnate to about mid-point             of corolla tube; about 1.0 mm long and 0.5 mm wide; color             nearest RHS 4D. Pollen: numerous, globose, less than 0.1 mm             diameter; color nearest RHS 191C.         -   Pedicel.—Short, puberulent; about 2.0 mm long and about 0.5             mm diameter; color nearest RHS 138B.         -   Peduncle.—Quadrangular, pubescent, flexible and strong; to             about 34.0 cm long.         -   Peduncle color.—Between RHS 138C and RHS 138B.         -   Fruit.—Moderate fruit set; oblong with acute apex; glabrous,             bi-valved, septicidal capsule; about 6.0 mm long and about             1.5 mm across.         -   Fruit color.—As maturing between RHS 144C and RHS 144D; when             mature and dehiscing between RHS 165A and RHS 165B.         -   Seed.—Elongated ellipse with sharply acute ends; less than             about 2.0 mm long and about 0.1 mm diameter in center.         -   Seed color.—Nearest RHS 200A. -   Disease resistance: Resistance to deer browsing has been observed.     Further resistance beyond that of other known winter-hardy butterfly     bush cultivars has not been noted. The plant grows best with plenty     of moisture and adequate drainage, but is able to tolerate some     drought when mature. -   Hardiness at least from USDA zone 6 through 10. 

I claim:
 1. A new cultivar of winter-hardy butterfly bush plant Buddleia plant named ‘Queen of Hearts’ as herein illustrated and described, suitable for potted plant culture, landscaping as a specimen or en masse or as cut flower purposes. 